CANADA-AN ALL-INCLUSIVE EXPERIENCE
(a travel report by Birgit Richter-Schrenk)
"Long-term planning will guarantee a great vacation" was our motto, and
so already in September, 1995 we began laying plans. The group of us, consisting
of Günther and Gabi, Charlie and Stefanie and my husband and I, summarized our
vacation wishes as follows: untouched nature off the beaten trail, good fishing,
comfort as
regards room and board and easy transfer.
After a three-day trip-of course including shopping possibilities along the
way-and with the help of Charlie’s
family in Minneapolis, we arrived at Sportman’s Landing, which is about 50 miles from Fort Francis/International
Falls on the Minnesota - Canada boarder. There we were met by Darcy (the girl
Friday or "Mädchen für Alles"), who took us by boat about 20 miles to our goal,
Pipestone Lodge. The further we traveled, the fewer houses, cabins and other
boat were to be seen. At about the half-way point we took a portage-the boat is
pulled over a small part of land on a cart-which brought us to "our" lake,
Pipestone Lake, and in another fifteen minutes we arrived at Pipestone Lodge. We
were very excited and very curious indeed. On the dock we were greeted by our
hosts, Jenny and Art, with the words "Relax and have a drink. We’ll take care of
your luggage." Which we gladly agreed to and watched as our luggage was
transferred to our cabin.
Our cabin: a wooden house consisting of a large living room with kitchenette,
two bedrooms and a bathroom with shower and toilet. Electricity (from a diesel
generator) and running hot water was available.
The camp is made up of 8 cabins (most of which had the same level of comfort as
ours), the lodge (which housed the dining room and a recreation area with
satellite TV) along with a few auxiliary buildings such as the fish house (for
cleaning the fish we caught) and the generator house, which gave off a
continual, but not very bothersome, noise in order to generate the electricity.
We hadn’t expected so much "luxury." The next surprise was supper. We, as
typical Austrians, had prepared ourselves for two weeks of fast food. However,
Jenny proved herself as not only an excellent but also an imaginative and varied
cook. Her repertoire: from spare ribs to stiffed chicken, from the Italian to
the Chinese kitchen - every evening she was able to surprise and please us with
a different dish.
Our daily schedule was as follows: 8-9 a.m. breakfast American style, then out
on the lake to fish. Lunch was either a packed lunch or a shore lunch. Supper at
5 p.m. and for the real fisher-people a chance to go fishing again before
sunset.
Shore lunch? According to the brochure, a Canadian tradition. The requirements
are freshly caught fish which are prepared according to a secret recipe over the
camp fire. But you have to gather the wood yourself and make the fire yourself.
Fried potatoes, the fresh fish dunked in a beer batter, fire-baked beans -
simply stated a culinary delight and a real camp-fire romance. Each couple had
exclusive access to a boat and 25 hp motor which was gassed up and ready to go
with live bait for us each day. Art and Darcy offered us their fishing know-how
and even told us where the fish were. They also spent considerable time with us
in the boats, and when we were lucky enough to catch fish, these were taken and
returned as cleaned and de-boned filets. Day after day we got to know the
labyrinth of lakes at our disposal and found our own favorite places. For Bruno
and me it was a small bay named Canyon Bay, where we could spend the entire day
without seeing another human being or hearing another boat. Fishing, observing
nature, reading or simply letting the soul float free . . . We saw loons,
beavers, turtles, sea eagles and families of ducks, and we enjoyed the peace and
quiet.
The weather, luckily enough, was simply fantastic. During the 2 weeks there we
had only 2 days of rain, otherwise it was a beautiful blue sky and 78° F or 30°
C, and I could swim in the clear, clean, crisp water daily.
Two weeks of a dream vacation. Our hosts became good friends and the time
slipped by much too quickly. Only the promise to return could comfort us.